Tony Stewart lands Bass Pro Shops sponsorship

Tony Stewart has just nine races left open for sponsorship for 2013.(Photo: Rob Grabowski, US Presswire)

TALLADEGA, Ala. -- The good news on the NASCAR sponsorship front Friday from Talladega Superspeedway: The defending Sprint Cup champion has found a new primary sponsor.

The not-so-good: A former Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 winner is hunting for one.

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing president Steve Lauletta said his team would be able to have Jamie McMurray's No. 1 Chevrolet fully sponsored for 2013, but the news that Tony Stewart would be taking the bulk of its funding from Bass Pro Shops in an 18-race deal next year was another sign that sponsorship still can be an uphill climb.

"One of my concerns obviously for the entire industry is we're sitting here talking about the defending champion that had to find more sponsorship," Lauletta said. "In the (sponsor) conversations we're having, there have been long lead times but companies very interested in what we have to say for the sport and for our team. It's just making sure the relationship makes sense for both parties, and I think that's the most challenging part right now."

There have been some positive sponsor developments this week with Hendrick Motorsports announcing a one-year extension of AARP's Drive to End Hunger on Jeff Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet and a four-race primary deal with Time Warner Cable for Kasey Kahne in each of the next three seasons.

It's also been a good week for Stewart-Haas Racing, which has been affected the most lately by the slowdown in sponsor fortunes in losing the U.S. Army on Ryan Newman's No. 39 Chevrolet next year along with Office Depot on Stewart's No. 14.

The team shored up much of those voids this week, announcing Tuesday that Quicken Loans would double its commitment to Newman's team to 18 races and unveiling Friday that Stewart would have Bass Pro Shops for 18 races, too.

SHR still needs more funding for Stewart's Chevy which has had Office Depot as a co-primary sponsor of the three-time champion since 2009. The office supply retailer was the primary sponsor of Stewart's car for 22 races this season, and Mobil 1 paid for the other 14.

Next year Bass Pro will have 18 races starting with the Daytona 500 and Mobil 1 will take 11, leaving nine races to fill. It's the first time Stewart's car will rotate between at least three primary sponsors.

Stewart has had a personal services deal for more than a decade with Bass Pro, which also has sponsored his World of Outlaws and sprint car teams. Stewart said the relationship started by striking up a friendship with Bass Pro Shops CEO Johnny Morris.

"We got introduced and started working together," Stewart said. "It's grown over the years. There was never an opportunity like this to do something together until now. The best part is it's not just a new partnership, but it's a friendship that developed into a partnership."

Morris said signing with Stewart was "like a dream coming true." The company has been a primary sponsor in NASCAR's premier series for seven seasons, backing Martin Truex Jr. from 2006-09 and McMurray from 2010-12 at Earnhardt Ganassi Racing.

"No doubt our involvement in NASCAR was a big part of building our brands," Morris said. "We think racing helps grow the sports of hunting and fishing. When you see someone like Tony who has such a huge influence on young people, mostly a good influence, maybe it puts a spark in their heart to spend more time and fish and hunt. That's another reason we invest in the sport."

During a news conference at Talladega Superspeedway, Morris thanked team owner Chip Ganassi and McMurray, who won the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in a Bass Pro-sponsored car in 2010.

"We've been aligned with them loyally, our agreement came to an end and had a once-in-a-lifetime chance to do something with Tony," said Morris, whose company also plans to continue backing the Richard Childress Racing teams of Austin Dillon (Nationwide) and Ty Dillon (Camping World Truck Series). "We're still really close with Chip and Jamie and hope to do some things with them in the future."

Lauletta said Bass Pro Shops would remain on the hood of McMurray's No. 1 as a primary sponsor for at least a handful of races next year and expected the remaining gap to be filled by McDonald's and other sponsors on the car upping their financial commitment along with adding some new brands.

"They'll have the ability to look at race markets they haven't in the past like Daytona and the Brickyard," Lauletta said. "I think we're going to be just fine.

"We've got some work to do. For the past three years, we've been in the enviable position of having no primary real estate on our cars, so a lot of partners we've been working with across IndyCar, Grand-Am and NASCAR have talked about wanting to do primary races, and we haven't had the chance. Now we do, and between those partners, McDonald's and Liftmaster and Banana Boat, I anticipate we'll be fully sponsored for next year."

Stewart said his team "wasn't trying to steal" Bass Pro Shops from Earnhardt Ganassi.

"You always feel bad, especially when it's somebody like Jamie McMurray and Chip (Ganassi), two guys I think the world of," Stewart said. "It's sad on that side, but there is a business side as well. We just let it be known to Johnny that if there ever was an opportunity, we had an opportunity available on our side, and if he ever decided that he was wanting to make a change, we wanted him to know that we were available if that were ever the case.

"Chip's somebody that will bounce back from this very quickly, I have the utmost confidence in that. He's great with his sponsors, and Jamie is a very easy sell and a great driver and personality, and I think they'll come up with something very quick to replace them."